


Long Day

by Sweetnesse



Category: 30 Seconds to Mars, Real Person Fiction, jared leto - Fandom
Genre: Actors, Caretaking, Comfort, Crying, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Happy, Jared Leto - Freeform, Male-Female Friendship, Musicians, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Rock Stars, Sad, Sad and Happy, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sleep, Sweet, Talking, Tour Bus, Touring, singers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 05:36:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18866797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetnesse/pseuds/Sweetnesse
Summary: You're opening for Thirty Seconds to Mars on tour, and after what feels like your millionth show, you're overwhelmed- and decide to seek comfort in Jared Leto.





	Long Day

The lights dimmed and went out for the final time, leaving you feeling exhausted as you headed back down a long hallway and to a dressing room in the back of the venue you were playing. It was no easy feat, opening for Thirty Seconds to Mars, you had one hell of an act to keep up with. Though you were sure almost no one cared about you and your performance just before theirs, you put your all in every night- especially when he invited you back out on stage for the impromptu duets.

Your eyelids were heavier than normal, and your body felt weak as you mulled over just what life was dealing you at the moment. It wasn’t often that you had these “reality check” moments, but as it sunk in harder, you began to grow a bit emotional, despite the gratefulness that swelled within your chest. It felt like it had been years since you’d had a home cooked meal, and an even longer time since you’d seen your family. You missed the comforts of home, especially when it came time to go to sleep. A sudden twinge of sadness made itself known in your throat, and you noticed you’d been holding back tears for the duration of your trek.

When you arrived at your empty dressing room, you quickly closed the door behind you, kicking off your heels and tying your hair up into a messy bun atop your head. A tear rolled down your cheek without your permission, and you silently damned yourself for letting it slip as you flicked it away.

The feeling in your chest was growing heavier, burdening you with its presence. You absolutely loved what you did, but it was your first rodeo, and you absolutely were tired. You bit into your lower lip, pressing your palms into the edge of the vanity and staring into your own eyes through the light bulb lined mirror. You had maintained a perfect image for yourself, always carefree and happy. Always ready to entertain and relate to the masses. The girl who stared back, however, was weary- and honestly? Extremely homesick.

You hadn’t made many friends on tour. Between traveling, trying to find time to sleep and trying to find decent food to sustain your energy, there was no room to chit chat. You sighed, pulling away from the vanity and heading for the door. You just needed a friend, and though you had none at the moment, you hoped the one person who always seemed to brighten anyone’s day might have a little time for you off stage, too.

Before leaving, you slid into your fuzzy slippers and shrugged into your favorite hoodie. It was chilly once you began to come down from the adrenaline you felt on stage, and you were only wearing a crop top and shorts short enough to make anyone else blush.

A little nervous, but also a little desperate, you shuffled back out of your dressing room and headed for the room just a couple doors down. Once you stood before it, you contemplated knocking at all. Everyone else flooding the hallway to break down after the show was too busy to notice your odd appearance in front of another door. Wringing your hands together for a moment, a few strands of hair fell around your face as you turned to leave, and then stopped yourself again.

“Just knock,” you heard a voice say.

Caught off guard and cheeks burning red, you turned to catch a glance at who it was. Of course, it was Shannon Leto, hanging off of the door frame to his dressing room to study you as he spoke.

“He doesn’t bite. Usually,” and with that, he disappeared into the room and closed the door behind him.

You shrugged a bit to yourself and a minute of courage was all it took as you watched your hand rap on the door a few times. You immediately regretted it, drawing a breath between your teeth and scrunching your nose. A beat passed, and you decided to give it up. _What was I thinking, anyway?_ You turned to leave before hearing the click of the door opening beside you, causing you to stop and turn back around to face the man you’d so confidently faced before every night on stage, Jared Leto.

“Hi,” was all you said, impishly lifting a hand to wave at him.

He eyed you curiously before a sleepy grin crossed his lips.

“Can I help you?” He asked lightly, clearly unsure of why you were there.

“Well.. I hope so,” you responded, your tone growing slightly rushed as you continued. “I kind of just need to talk to someone, and I don’t really know where else to turn, because my moms probably asleep in her time zone, and I don’t really have any-“

“Hey,” he interrupted quietly, placing a hand on your shoulder gently. “Come in.”

He opened the door wider and waved you in behind him as he stepped back into the privacy of his dressing room.

You noticed a rumpled blanket and his phone on the couch that sat in the corner, feeling bad that maybe you’d interrupted his own time to himself.

“Is this a bad time? I don’t want to bother you..” you said, closing the door behind you.

“No, no. I’m fine. But the look on your face tells me otherwise about you. What’s on your mind, darlin’?” He asked playfully then, a hint of a southern accent on the pet name. “I’ve never seen you so meek before.”

He lounged back on the couch, patting the seat beside himself and leaning his head back into the plush cushion with a deep breath. You moved to the couch then, sitting beside him. It was almost a bit humorous to you, that he noticed your larger than life personality on stage. You cracked a faint grin, cozying up into a small ball and wrapping your arms around your legs, resting your chin on your knees.

“Jared.. I’m tired. I miss home. And real food. And my cat,” you sighed, not wanting to bombard him with your thoughts and feelings despite that being your reason for sitting on his couch.

He chuckled a bit, his eyes closed. You didn’t want to admit it, but he sure looked gorgeous in such a relaxed state. He lifted his head and looked at you.

“That’s normal, trust me. I know it feels like you’re on a never ending rollercoaster.. This is definitely far from our first time out, and sometimes we still have to remind ourselves how lucky we are.”

“Really? You guys make it look so effortless, like there’s no place you’d rather be.”

He grinned again, eyes closing and head returning to its tilted back position against the couch as he waved a hand lightly.

“There isn’t. But sometimes you do miss your own bed.”

Breathing a laugh, you nodded.

“Oh yeah, I miss that too,” you said, pausing for a few moments as you got lost in thought. When you felt your eyes growing wetter, you realized it was too late to hold anything back now.

“But sometimes it’s so hard to keep smiling,” you whispered, not looking up anymore.

From your peripheral vision, you noticed his head perk up again. He shifted in place, arching a brow.

“You don’t have to be happy all the time, you know. Sometimes you can just.. feel.”

“All I do is feel, lately. It’s like I can’t turn it off. And every day is a new place and new faces… I know what I signed up for, I really do. I just didn’t realize the actual toll these things would take,” you sniffed, not daring to look up at him; not daring show the weakness you refused to let anyone see prior.

Jared sat up straight, leaning forward on his knees as he looked over at your guarded position beside him. Sure, you were there because you needed a venting session, but you didn’t want to cry. You didn’t want to look like the big baby you felt like. With a straight face, you tried to keep your line of sight on the carpet, though you could feel your cheeks growing hotter and your eyes welling up.

“Don’t go hard on me now, babe,” he chuckled lightly and nudged your leg. “If you need to let go of everything, here’s the place and nows the time. No one else is going to be knocking at my door until it’s time to head out.”

He might as well have opened floodgates. Teardrops streaked down your still perfectly contoured cheeks as you buried your face in your curled up position. You sniffed, shaking your head.

“I just feel like such an ass for feeling this way,” you mewled. “I always said I never would, and now here I am, desperate for any sort of person to vent to… No offense- I just didn’t want to burden you with my minuscule issues.”

A soft chuckle escaped him as you felt a hand slide around your shoulders and pull you in close. He had moved closer, leaning his head against yours and rubbing your arm. There was nothing more than the innocence of comforting a friend between you, and it was a welcomed sensation as you leaned back against him and did what you always told yourself you should never do in front of anyone.

_Cry._

“It’s not a minuscule issue. You went from nothing to everything overnight. This is to be expected, honestly… You know, when lobsters grow out of their shells, they’re very uncomfortable. But that’s just part of growth. You don’t look like a lobster, by the way. But you get me.”

He laughed again, and this time, a small giggle fell past your lips, too.

“I’ve heard that before. I just wish it could be easier. Being overwhelmed by the one thing I wanted the most feels shitty. I try not to complain.. There are a million other people who wish they could be in my shoes. But sometimes it’s just, hard.”

“You walk this path because you can handle it. We’ve all seen you in action. You’re a beast! You got this, {Y/N}. And when you get home you’ll appreciate your bed more. You won’t take a home cooked meal for granted,” he quipped.

“That’s true,” you sniffed again, taking his words to heart.

You’d always admired him, and hearing such kind statements from his mouth cheered you up more than you expected.

“Next time we’re in a city where I can actually cook on a real stove, I’m making you something. Anything. It might be a little burnt, but it’s better than cramming fries before passing out every night,” he nodded at you as your eyes met his.

“I didn’t know you knew that,” you said, slightly embarrassed.

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen your assistant running wild trying to get any kind of food in you before you’re out cold for the night.”

You laughed. It was true. You kept a hectic schedule on tour, like most everyone else, but slightly more irresponsible, and if you didn’t eat something during the day, you were irritable, or lightheaded and nauseated the next day.

“That salad you had last night was supposed to be mine. But I’m such a great guy, I let your assistant have it to give to you. Same with that vegan slice of pie last week.. and the açaí bowl before that…”

“What?! I’m sorry! I feel like I should be cooking you something instead now.”

You suddenly felt like a bit of a jerk. You had no idea he was sacrificing meals and snacks just to keep you in good health.

“We’ll make something together, how about that?” He said instead, rubbing your arm gently.

You cracked a genuine smile, already feeling a bit more comfortable and relaxed from your slight breakdown. You knew he was a nice person, but you truly didn’t realize that he had been taking care of you in little ways since you’d embarked on the tour.

“I’d really like that.”

He stretched his arms out wide with a big yawn then, indicating that it was time to get a move on and head back to gather your things and hit the road again. You stood up quickly, shuffling back into your fuzzy slippers and heading for the door.

“Thanks, Jared. For everything. I really mean it. You’re a great guy.”

Another sleepy grin crossed his lips, and he breathed a soft laugh that might not have been audible if you were breathing at the same time.

“I just take care of those whom I care for.”

Your hand reached for the doorknob as you turned to conceal your warm and fuzzy grin and make your exit; but something in you, maybe something crazy, made you stop when you opened the door.

“I.. don’t really want to sleep alone tonight,” you heard yourself say.

Unsure of just where that blunt honesty came from, you could already feel your cheeks burning hot.

“I- I didn’t mean that as in, ‘hey let’s bang,’ I just..” You trailed off, already embarrassed at your own slip up. _I always ruin a perfectly fine moment._

He chuckled again, this time louder.

“I know what you’re saying. There’s definitely room in my bed on the bus- I got the room and they all got the bunks this time,” he mused, a cheeky grin placing itself on his features, as though he were proud of himself for taking the most comfortable sleeping quarters on the bus from the rest of them.

They were men, but they sure acted like boys sometimes. You giggled, shaking your head and playfully rolling your eyes.

“Mister nice guy, huh?” You joked, turning around to face him again.

“Oh yeah. Go get your stuff loaded in and I’ll just let them know to wait for you. I’m heading back out there now anyway, I’m exhausted, tonight was.. tres fou,” he said, the French making you giggle again.

But your face lit up like fireworks on the 4th at his acceptance, and you nodded quickly, turning back around and hurrying out of the door. After a beat, you popped back into his doorway, poking your head in with a small, warm grin.

“Thanks.”

**-x-x-x-**

“Welcome to Chateau Leto while we’re on the road,” he announced in a French accent as you stepped into his ‘room’ behind him.

It was small, just a bed and a window with some storage space around it, but it seemed like heaven on a night when all you wanted was to feel safe. You plopped onto the bed, kicking off your slippers and setting down a stuffed animal you unabashedly slept with despite not being a kid anymore. When Jared noticed, a confused grin washed over his countenance. He picked it up by the scruff and looked at it.

“I didn’t take you for a stuffed animal kind of girl.”

You pouted, crossing your arms in a mock huff as a few more strands of hair fell from your messy bun.

“He’s not a stuffed animal, he’s my best friend. Very well traveled, too, I’ll have you know,” you defended, your nose in the air before you fell into a small giggle fit.

He pretended to talk through it for a moment, sending you both into laughter. Once you smacked him with a nearby pillow playfully, he set it back down beside you.

“Okay, okay!” He surrendered.

Once you began to settle back down, you buried your face in the pillow, inhaling the scent. It must’ve been his; it smelled of cologne and yet his natural scent still remained. A small smile crossed your lips as you set it back down in its place, too.

He laid down on it then, crunching it up behind his head and staring at the ceiling. Your eyes raked over his frame, looking angelic as ever as he remained still; his tattooed chest rising and falling with each serene breath, his arm still behind his head with the pillow. He wore a pair of Gucci sweats and a t-shirt, you assumed only because you were there. Getting lost in thought, and still trying to come down from the last spikes of adrenaline, you continued to stare.

When the bus revved to a start, you quickly snapped out of it, coming back down to earth and grabbing your stuffed animal. You laid down then, the bus beginning to pull out from the venue to begin the journey to the next city. You didn’t want to think about what the next day would hold. You simply wanted to be, and feel, just like he’d mentioned. He made it look so easy. When you peeked back over at him, his eyes were already closed and you could tell he was already fast asleep.

Another grin danced on your lips as you carefully got a bit more comfortable, pulling a blanket over him gently and another over yourself.

“Good night, J,” you whispered, closing your eyes and drifting off into the deepest sleep you’d had since tour began.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! If you've requested something, I promise I haven't forgotten, life has just been taking me on a crazy journey at the moment. I hope you enjoyed this sweet little one shot I wrote after having a rough day and wondering how Jared might comfort someone. <3
> 
> harleyquinn-xox.tumblr.com <\-- come be my friend and request things! <3


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